A while ago on Orchid, there was a discussion about lighting up your
jewellery. Shops, cabinets and display cases. A poster suggested a
company called http://www.econo-lite.com
I contacted them, since they were in Florida, and they sent me out a
metal halide lamp fixture that I thought might prove suitable for a
test for one of my jewellery cabinets. I had built these two
identical cabinets a while ago, so a comparison would be good. Check
out econo-lite.com for the one
that I bought
The lights and bulb cost about $180-ish.The first bulb I received
with the fixture was too bright. I was rated at 4200K. And it was so
white that all the 18ct gold looked silver. So I phoned econolite up
and they sent me another halide light that was rated at 3000K. That
one, was in my opinion, perfect. The unit price of the metal halide
is very high. The unit is a bit bulky. It has slow start up
abilities. But compared to Quartz halogen, fluorescent, or LED
lights, it beats them hands down in the light/heat department. This
is critical for me. I live at the sea, so jewellery tarnishing,
including 18kt is a real problem for me. The high cost is way offset
by less cleaning time, lower heat, more light and lower electricity
consumption. In the next few months I am converting my entire shop’s
displays to metal halide. I will go from 1000 watts to 280 watts.
For some pictures, see my blog.
Cheers, Hans Meevis
http://hansmeevis.blogspot.com